Afghan peace process: Khalilzad returns to Kabul ahead of Taliban talks

KABUL: US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Monday he was in Kabul to meet with Afghan officials, ahead of a new round of talks with the Taliban aimed at ending more than 17 years of war.

The Afghan-born US adviser tweeted that he had met with several government representatives with responsibility for the Afghan peace process. "We discussed the urgency of making progress on intra-Afghan dialogue," Khalilzad wrote.

He later said he had met with representatives from a women´s network, saying women "must be at the table during all negotiations". Khalilzad held talks with the Taliban in Doha that were originally slated to last two days in February, but dragged on for 16 days, eventually ending March 12 with Khalilzad saying "real strides" had been made. On the table were proposals to get foreign armed forces to leave Afghanistan, and the Taliban to guarantee the country cannot be used as a springboard for terror groups to launch any future attacks.

The State Department last week said Khalilzad’s trip was "part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that brings all Afghan parties together in inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations". So far, however, the talks have not included The Kabul government. The Taliban have long refused to speak with Kabul, deeming the administration of President Ashraf Ghan, who is seeking re-election this year, puppets of the West. But a senior Taliban official told AFP they may consider meeting Afghan government officials in a fresh round of talks in Doha, reportedly due to begin mid-April.

"Taliban will not meet with the Afghan government, but they might meet with some Afghan government officials as independent politicians," the official said. New talks come as Afghanistan remains on edge ahead of a new fighting season in the spring, and amid fears of an increase in Taliban attacks to gain leverage at the negotiating table.

On Saturday, Taliban fighters attacked a convoy carrying Afghanistan’s vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum in the northern province of Balkh. The attack killed one of Dostum´s bodyguards but the former warlord escaped unhurt. A spokesman for Dostum said he would not be attending the Doha talks, but representatives from his political party would be. Khalilzad’s trip has already seen him stop in London and Brussels as he seeks global support for a peace deal.